And scientists who feared another Spanish flu did not know that the 1918 influenza was avian, not swine. Later, researchers discovered that benign swine flu strains had been circulating in the US population long before this one was identified at the military base. The swine flu strain spotted at Fort Dix was not dangerous, and there would be no pandemic. With hindsight, it’s easy to see that the fears of the time were unfounded. “Its goal was to immunise every man, woman and child in the US, and thus was the largest and most ambitious immunisation program ever undertaken in the United States,” wrote Imperato in a 2015 paper reflecting on the events. In March, President Ford announced a $137m (£67.5m in 1976) effort to produce a vaccine by the autumn. That season’s roosters were due for slaughter, so a slow decision would add a delay of several months to vaccine manufacture. Back then, influenza vaccine was produced in fertilised hen’s eggs. They also had an animal advantage: roosters. The pharmaceutical industry had just finished manufacturing vaccines for the normal flu seasons. Public health officials realised it might be possible to get a vaccine to the public by the end of the year if they acted fast. ![]() Further investigation found that people under 50 years old had no antibodies to this new strain. The pandemics of 19 were still fresh in the memory, and fears soon escalated of another 1918-like influenza pandemic, which had killed tens of millions. Testing revealed that the virus had spread to more than 200 recruits. None had been in contact with pigs, so human transmission was assumed. In February 1976, several soldiers at Fort Dix fell ill with a previously unrecognised swine flu. ![]() It began at a US Army training base in New Jersey.
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